Series: Gospel of
Luke
“Showdown in the Desert” # 20
Luke 4:1-13
The perfect
sinless Lord Jesus Christ is no more evident than in the text before us on the
temptation of Christ. Satan tempted Him with a wave of temptations trying to
derail Him from the plan of redemption.
I want to
make 6 observations from the temptation of Jesus with the 6th
leading into the 3 temptations.
1. It was
impossible for Jesus to sin.
Wayne
Grudem in his systematic Theology states, “If Jesus as a person had sinned, involving both his
human and divine natures in sin, then God Himself would have sinned, and he
would have ceased being God. Yet that is clearly impossible because of the infinite
holiness of God’s nature. Therefore if we are asking if it was actually
possible for Jesus to have sinned, it seems that we must conclude that it was
not possible. The union of his human and divine natures in one person prevented
it.”
John
MacArthur states,
“God can’t be tempted and sin, yet in His humanity the temptations were real,
yet he was impeccable [not able to sin], that does not mean the temptations
were not real; their reality did not depend on his ability to respond. In his
holiness, the temptations were more real for him than those who yield to it.”
2. These temptations
were in the will of God [vv. 1-2].
Mark’s gospel
states, Mark
Jesus was
tempted not to see if he would sin but to prove that he could not sin. He was
our sinless redeemer!
3. Jesus was
full of the Holy Ghost.
“Full” means
“to be saturated with” or “permeated thoroughly with.” A person filled with the
Spirit is emptied of known sin and self and the Word of God dwells richly in
them.
4. Satan
begins by acknowledging Jesus’ true identity.
The word “if”
is better translated “since.” Wuest says, “In view of the fact you are the Son
of God.”
Unlike the
cults and liberals, Satan and demons never denied the deity of the Lord Jesus
Christ [vv. 33-34].
5. Luke
reverses the 2nd and 3rd temptation.
To show that
the mode of operation Satan has not changed and to fit the order of 1 John
of the eyes, and the pride of life.
Genesis 3:6 And when the woman saw that the tree was
good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be
desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat,
and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
1 John
TT- This morning I want you to note these three temptations
unique only to Jesus, yet with Satan’s same mode of operation as in these two
passages. Satan appealed to----
1. The Lust of the Flesh [vv. 3-4].
A. The Test [v. 3].
Satan tempts
Jesus to satisfy his own need and gratify himself. Bread is not evil, so the
temptation to Jesus is to act apart from faithful dependence on God.
Jesus had
voluntarily set aside the independent use of his divine power and attributes
and provide for himself.
The devil was
attempting Jesus to distrust the Father’s love and provision for him.
B. The Triumph [v. 4].
Jesus replies with Scripture Deuteronomy 8:2-3, “And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no. And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live.”
Jesus refused
to act on his own initiative, but proves his faithfulness to God, his
dependence on God, and his obedience to his word. God in time, would provide
for his physical needs [Matt.
Satan wanted
Jesus to doubt God’s love and provision and satisfy His own flesh.
2. The Lust of the Eyes [vv. 5-8].
A. The Test [vv. 5-7].
The devil
offered Jesus the world now, even though he would rule it one day in the
future. What if Jesus has accepted?
1. Jesus would have sinned by worshiping the
devil and
could not be
our perfect sacrifice for sin.
2. Jesus must suffer before Glory. He would
have glory but
no cross. No
salvation and no cross!
B. The Triumph [v. 8].
Again Jesus
quotes Scripture Deuteronomy 6:12-14, “Then beware lest thou forget the LORD, which brought
thee forth out of the
Jesus refused
to make a pact with the devil and step out of God’s plan fulfill the lust of
the eyes. No deal, no shortcut to glory, he would pay the cost of the Father’s
plan.
Christians
must not lose faith in God’s plan which is always best. We must wait patiently
for God to act and not take matters in our own hands.
What shall it
profit a man if he gain the whole world and lose his own soul.
3. The Pride of Life [vv. 9-12].
A. The Test [vv. 9-11].
Jesus is on
the southeast corner of the temple looking several feet below at the
Satan decides
to quote Scripture himself but distorts and perverts it. Satan misquotes a
messianic Psalm out of context where God pledges to protect the Messiah.
Psalms 91:10-12, “There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.”
Satan
probably hoped he would be killed in the fall avoiding the cross, or either cease to be in submission to God’s plan and will.
Satan wanted
Jesus to be prideful and presume on God.
B. The Triumph [v. 12].
Jesus quotes Scripture Deuteronomy 6:16, “Ye shall not tempt the LORD your God, as ye tempted him in Massah.”
Jesus would
not commit the sin
This
temptation turns God into a cosmic genie who grants our every desire. This is
what the “name it claim it” crowd does. This make man sovereign over God.
The devil
leaves him alone for a more opportune time.
Con: What can we learn from these temptations:
1. Satan uses
the same strategy today on believers.
2. Satan
designs his attacks after spiritual highs and lows.
3. Knowing
and obeying Scripture is a must to defeat
temptation.